Bittersweet
by AliceJericho
Summary: One shot. When he left she thought she had nothing. What she never realized was that she had all of him the whole time. Alex Shelley/OC


**a/n thanks to cherrybomb13 for letting me use Aiden and Kennedy's Friday Night Delight for letting me use Ashton, Joey and Mackenzie! I only own Mollie Jarrett.**

* * *

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Mollie answered the phone with a small smile and a tone she only reserved for this one person. It was equal parts sweet and sour, it matched their relationship perfectly.

"I can't just call for a chat?" the person on the other end of the line asked and the blonde couldn't help but laugh. "I was just wondering if you knew what day it was."

"Not quite," she laughed lightly, "Just under an hour to go."

"Shit, I thought I'd worked it out right." She heard shuffling on the other end of the line and an image entered her mind instantly. She knew the caller all too well.

"Close enough. I just can't believe you called. It's been so long I'd assumed you'd forget."

"I've known you for ten years; I'd have a hard time forgetting if I tried. You don't give me enough credit."

"Credit where it's due." She nodded to herself, shifting her position on the couch. "I can't believe you called, Pat."

"I wanted to be the first person to wish you a happy birthday." He told her and she felt her heart begin to beat a little faster. "I never fail, do I?"

"No," she answered as she remembered through all of her birthdays since she had met him all those years ago, "You've done pretty well."

"Anyway, what have you been up to? Chris reckons he doesn't see much of you at tapings anymore."

"I've been busy. Work's hectic." She told him, looking around her to see files scattered across the coffee table.

"Too hectic to go home?"

"TNA was never my home." She answered simply, "What about you? You too busy to come home?" Mollie heard her friend sigh on the other end of the phone. "Too busy to tell me you were leaving?"

"Moll…"

"I'm allowed to be bitter." She cut him off quickly, "You had three months to tell me you were moving to _Japan_ but decided not to. I could deal with you leaving TNA without telling me but leaving the country? Christ, Pat."

"I know, I know. Not my best moment." He conceded and Mollie sighed. She pushed herself further into the couch and closed her eyes.

"I miss you, Pat."

"Yeah, I realised. You're calling me 'Pat'. I can't remember the last time you called me that." He chuckled and she remembered all the times she had been there to hear it in person. "We were good together, Moll." She laughed loudly.

"Surely you aren't talking about us." Mollie took a deep breath to compose herself, "We were a fucking train wreck."

She was met with silence on the other end of the phone. She thought about apologising but a) she never apologised and b) she was only telling the truth. Instead, she waited for a response.

"But it was the best train ride you've ever been on." A huge smile broke out on her face as he spoke, "And you know it's the truth."

"I can't say I disagree." She admitted.

The two launched into a conversation about their past relationship, reminiscing on all of the best –and worst – moments as a couple. Nostalgia washed over the blonde as she sat on her couch, looking around the room and picturing her friend being there. He had always made her house feel like more of a home than anyone else. All he had to was step in the door and it felt warmer.

When she had found out he wasn't going to re-sign with TNA, she had been confused. While they had been broken up for several months, they were still close friends and she didn't understand why he had not called her and told her personally. In August she heard that he was signing with New Japan Pro Wrestling and she had never felt so left out. Once upon a time she had been the person he shared everything with, but in a matter of months she'd become nothing.

"Happy birthday, Mollie." Pat said after a very long conversation. She looked up at the large clock on her wall.

"Jesus, Pat. It's past midnight!"

"I know, happy birthday." He repeated.

"We've been on the phone for an hour! Your phone bill's going to be through the roof!"

"Mollie." Pat said sternly, causing the blonde to stop and listen, "Happy birthday."

"Thank you." She responded, a small smile playing on her lips. "Now get off the phone before you go bankrupt."

"One last thing, I'm coming back to the States next month, let's catch up. I'll swing by Nashville before I go home." He told her and she felt her heart flutter. Very few people could make her feel that way but the knowledge that Patrick would delay his return home just to see her did terribly wonderful things to her stomach.

"Facebook me or something!" she giggled – something she only ever did when Pat was involved – and the smile on the face reached her blue eyes. "Your phone bill is going to be huge!"

"You're worth it, Mollie!" Pat managed to squeeze in before she hung up the phone.

* * *

It had just gone two thirty and Mollie Jarrett's eyes were glued to the door of her favourite coffee shop. She had been sitting inside for ten minutes, in her favourite seat waiting for Patrick Martin to make an appearance. She had arrived early as she almost always did and had taken the extra time to again reminisce on all the funs times she and Patrick had had.

At twenty to three, the door opened – for the umpteenth time since Mollie had sat down – and Mollie looked up to see a tiny brunette woman having the door held open for her. She sighed dejectedly, telling herself that she was only going to wait ten more minutes for his perpetually late ass.

"Thank you." The brunette said with a small smile and walked through the door, being followed by none other than Patrick Martin. Mollie felt her heart constrict. She pushed her chair back slightly, packing her things back into her handbag, ready to leave.

"Leaving already? I just got here, Moll." She looked up and saw his warm brown eyes staring down at her, a cool smile on his face.

"I didn't think you were bringing someone. This was a mistake." She stood up and walked away from the table, not wanting to spend any longer in his presence.

"Bringing someone? I didn't bring anyone." He said confused.

"You and the brunette girl." Mollie clarified so Patrick knew exactly what she meant. He laughed at her, took her hand and led her back to the table.

"I held the door open for her. Because that's what a gentleman does." He sat down opposite her and Mollie stared at the table. "Hey, a little jealousy's completely fine."

"Fuck you." She muttered under her breath, slowly looking up at him and shaking her head as he smirked. "Don't say it."

"Say what?"

"What I know you're going to say."

"What am I going to say?"

"Been there, done that."

"I _was_ going to say that." Pat smiled at her and Mollie rolled her eyes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long package wrapped in cheesy birthday paper. "Happy birthday."

"Pat, it's the end of February."

"And? I wasn't here for your birthday, I bought you a present. Just open it" she reached across the table and took the gift.

"I wonder what it is." Mollie said sarcastically as she carefully removed the wrapping paper. Pat had always hated the way she opened gifts. He preferred to just rip into it, not caring about the paper at all but Mollie had always been careful when removing wrapping paper, she had seen her grandmother do it that way when she was little and just adopted the same habit.

Once the paper was off she opened the long box to see a yellow gold bracelet, with hearts featuring sporadically along the chain.

"This is Jennifer Meyer, isn't it?" Mollie asked quietly, stunned.

"Might be." He smiled at her coyly.

"Are you ready to order now?" a young waitress appeared by the table and Mollie looked up from the bracelet briefly, but Pat started speaking before she could answer.

"One large double shot caramel latte and a large Americano."

"Great, shouldn't be too long." Mollie wasn't looking up so she missed the wink the waitress – a friend she had made from frequenting the café on weekends – sent her way, but Pat saw it and smirked as he so often did.

"How does it feel to be twenty seven?"

"You're almost thirty." She reminded him and he shrugged.

"These things happen." He said casually, "Are you where you saw yourself?"

"No, not really." Mollie answered honestly with a solemn smile, "The only thing I've got right now is my job."

"That can't be true."

"Since we broke up, Pat, I've been out with one guy." She sighed heavily as the reality finally set in.

"Yeah?" he asked, prompting for more information.

"Oh, well… Adam Copeland."

"Edge? How do you even know Edge?"

"He's basically Ajay's brother… You know her better than I do, you should remember these things."

"I have a terrible memory! You know that better than anyone!"

"Yeah, okay, I know. But yeah, Adam… Uh, we went on a few dates in April and by June we were exclusive and I don't know, he was just really nice and sweet and he knew me so well even though we hadn't known each other for too long. I mean, we went Mini Golfing and he got me _Cellblock_ tickets to the series final, Pat."

"Which series?"

"Oh, you know the one… The one where we beat you four to one." Mollie looked up with a large smirk and saw Pat's face contort as if trying to forget the moment. As a Red Wings fan, Pat had never failed to give Mollie hell when they beat her team – the Predators – and she was going to enjoy her revenge.

"It looks like he made you really happy, Moll." Pat said, pausing as the waitress brought over their coffees. "Why'd you end it?"

"Um, just before Christmas we were talking about the future and that kind of stuff… I don't really think he wanted to leave North Carolina and I'm sure as hell not leaving Nashville but I'm sure that could have been sorted out… He, he just… He doesn't want kids."

Pat understood instantly why the relationship had ended. Not wanting to have kids was always going to be a deal breaker in Mollie's relationships.

"Why wouldn't he want kids?"

"He's turning forty this year," she answered, "and he doesn't want to be in his fifties and being the oldest parent at pee wee hockey or football or Little League or whatever. I understand where he's coming from, but I just-"

"You really want kids, I know."

"I'd almost have a nine year old." He saw her face crumble and reached over instantly to take a hold of her hand. She sucked in a deep breath at his touch and forced a smile onto her face. "What about you? Tell me about your model."

"Mollie…"

"No, I'm fine. I will be. I want to know about what you've been up to." She squeezed his hand gently and he smiled across the table at her. He knew that she wasn't fine and she never would be when the topic was brought up, but he hated to make her remember. "The model! Tell me about the model!"

"I didn't date a model." He told her, sincerely confused, "I've _never_ dated a model."

"I think her name was Aiden."

"Oh, right, yeah." Pat pursed his lips, "She's a fashion consultant, not a model. And yeah, we went out for a while. How do you know about her?"

"I still have my eyes and ears in TNA." Mollie finally brought her drink – the double shot caramel latte – to her lips.

"I thought I did, too." He pulled his hand away from hers so he could drink his drink.

"Ajay slipped up and mentioned her."

"Of course she did. Stupid girl can't keep a secret." Pat said, entirely frustrated that Ajay was still incapable of keeping her mouth shut.

"Ajay said you were going to propose…" Mollie took a sip of her drink.

"I don't, I mean… Well, yeah – I'd _thought_ about it. I just think we're too different." He stuttered around, wishing he didn't have to explain himself. "I mean, she wanted any number of kids and a huge house in Georgia, probably on a farm, and I don't know if I could ever live in Georgia. And if we lived in Georgia her family would be around _all the time_. And she belongs to a country club. A _country club_, Mollie. As if I could ever be a part of a country club."

"But, you must have liked her if you thought about marrying her… Let's be real here, you don't think those things just because you're getting a bit older. I don't fantasise about marrying every guy that passes me in the streets just because I want to settle down."

"Calm down, would you? Christ on a bike! I loved her, yeah, of course I did. She brought out the best in me and we had so much fun and she got on well with everyone, but something was missing and I didn't realise that until I thought about marriage."

"What was missing?" Mollie asked him, wanting to know as much as she could about the relationship. She had always been that way regarding Pat. Even when she wasn't asking Pat she was asking Ashton or James – anyone who could shed light on Pat's life while she wasn't around to see it herself. She had heard many variations of what Aiden was missing, but it was something else to be told directly from Pat.

"The fire." He answered simply, sipping at his coffee, and Mollie couldn't help the smile that formed on her face, "Don't give me that look."

"What look?" she asked back innocently and he shrugged, letting it go, but she knew what he was referring to. It was Mollie's _I'm superior_ look. She knew that she and Alex had had that fire. Her relationship with Adam had lacked the same thing. "Are you flying home tonight?"

"Flight's tomorrow morning, I need to find a hotel." Mollie rolled her eyes and held her hand up for the waitress.

"Don't be silly, you can stay at mine."

"I'm not staying at your dad's house again!" Pat protested quickly and vehemently.

"You're an idiot." Mollie's casualness stemmed from having said the same thing to him for many years, "I haven't lived with dad for nearly two years."

* * *

"Pat, wake up." Mollie lifted her foot from the ground to kick the sleeping man's ass, "For fuck's sake, Patrick." She groaned, remembering that this had always been a struggle.

"Fuck off." He grumbled into the pillow and Mollie stood at the end of the bed with a raised eyebrow.

"I know you didn't just tell me to fuck off, Patrick." Her words fell on deaf ears and she sighed deeply. "I just, I cooked pancakes and I can't eat them all myself." She saw some movement, "And I'm just really lonely, I need someone to come keep my company." He kicked his leg. "Fine, it's going to go cold. Whatever. I'm going back to bed." She walked around the bed and pulled back the blankets, sliding in effortlessly and letting her head hit the pillow.

"It's been a long time since this happened." It had taken him less than a second to move so he was right behind her, his breath in her ear. "You smell nice."

"Get up. Now. You'll miss your flight if you stay in bed any longer." Mollie pulled out his embrace – kicking herself for doing so – and stood at the end of the bed with her hands on her hips. "Up." Instead of getting out of bed, Pat rolled onto his back, pushed himself towards the headboard and put his arms behind his head.

"You look nice, too." Mollie turned around, took hold of his jacket and threw it across the room so it landed on his face.

"I'm not kidding. The pancakes are getting cold." She turned on her heel and left the room, she felt his eyes watching her ass as she did so.

She had been lying, of course, about the pancakes, she hadn't even started them yet because she knew it would take too long to get Pat out of bed. She was adding the ingredients into a bowl when Pat walked out. He didn't bother calling her out on her lie, he simply smiled at her and sat down on one of the bar stools, so he could watch her cook.

"Your hair is out of control." She laughed as he shook it out proudly. That strip of blonde would be the death of her. She had been the one stupid enough to dye it for him when he decided one day that he couldn't live without it.

"Not everyone can look that good when they get out of bed." Mollie turned back to the bowl and started to mix the ingredients so she could hide the blush that appeared on her face. "You never did like wearing pants." The blonde dropped a hand to the back of her t-shirt and pulled it down self-consciously. "Flaunt it, Mollie!"

"You still don't like wearing much, I see." She spoke clearly and confidently, turning to face him, waving the batter-covered whisk in the air. Pat stood up and did a small dance to show off how proud he was to be walking around in just his boxers.

It was basically the same until they had to dress so Pat could go catch his flight. He did delay it by stealing Mollie's shirt just as she was trying to put it on, resulting in a chase around her one bedroom house that had her giggles echoing off the walls until they finally had to leave.

As she had promised, she drove him to the airport. As always, Mollie walked in with him and stayed by his side as he checked in, waiting until his flight was called before she left.

"Just like old times," he threw his arm over her shoulder and hugged her to his side.

"I always hated this, you know? Having to watch you leave. Or having to leave you." He looked at her and she looked back at him – as she was just one inch shorter than he was, it merely required their heads to turn sideways – he noticed instantly that she had a sad expression on her face and he kissed her forehead.

"Wasn't easy for me, either." He replied with a sad sigh. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his shoulder. He dropped his suitcase and carry-on to wraps his arms around her.

"When are you coming back to visit?" she asked him and he thought it over for a minute.

"I don't know when I can come back here," she pouted at him, "But its Ajay's birthday next month and because she's turning thirty, she's having a party. I want you to come. You can stay at mine and it'll be wonderful, just like old times."

Mollie pulled back and looked at him. He winked at her and she winked back at him. Nothing else needed to be said, it was a silent yes and he knew it well enough to know that it meant all he needed to do was send her details and she'd be there.

When his flight was called, she kissed his lips lightly and pulled away.

* * *

"Just this one here, thanks." Mollie directed the cab driver. She had just spent an hour in a cab after having spent two hours in a plane. Of course, Pat had offered to pick her up from the airport, but she had refused to let him drive out of his way just to pick her up.

Once she had paid the driver and pulled her bag from the trunk, she made her way up the path to her friends' house. It had been far too long since she had seen anyone who worked in TNA and she knew that all of her friends were going to be at the party.

She rang the doorbell and pulled her bag over her shoulder so she could push her hands in to the pockets of her coat.

"Hurry up! I'm freezing my ass off out here!" the winds whipping around her face only made her feel colder and she hated it, it was a full ten degrees warmer back in Tennessee and she would have much rather have been there. "I know you're in there! I can hear your horrible taste in music!"

"Nice to see you, too, bitch." A small, very pregnant blonde opened the door with a hand on her hip. "How dare you insult my music!"

"I wouldn't have to if you listened to anything half decent." Mollie grinned back before quickly being ushered into the house. Once the door was shut and Mollie was out of the cold, she dropped her bag and hugged her friend tightly. "I missed you, Ajay!"

"I missed you, Moll! Come in and see everyone! They're going to freak!" Mollie barely had time to respond before Ajay was tugging on her arm and pulling her through the house.

"Ajay, stop!" Mollie planted her feet so she couldn't be pulled any further. This only worked because Ajay was pregnant and therefore resist. "I just want to walk in normally, okay. This is for your birthday not for me to be reunited with everyone."

"When have you ever given up the opportunity to make a big entrance?" Ajay asked with a raised eyebrow and Mollie smirked.

"I'll save that for the next time I show up to TNA."

"Yeah, okay, but I can't walk back in there by myself after I answered the door." Mollie nodded and began to take off her coat and scarf.

"I can walk in with you, just don't run or scream." The laugh that came from Mollie's mouth travelled, causing her to slap her hand over her mouth.

"I suppose I should take your stuff to the Den." Ajay grabbed Mollie's coat but the taller blonde took it back.

"Just go, Ajay. I can do this myself. Just tell them I'm getting settled." Ajay wandered off with a huge smile on her face and Mollie knew it wouldn't be long before she was telling people who had arrived. Mollie didn't particularly like that she elicited this reaction whenever she met up with her friends, but being the friend they hardly ever saw, she had eventually gotten used to it.

As she picked up her travel bag and handbag to move them into the Den, she heard a large ruckus from downstairs and knew that Ajay had made her arrival known. She made her way back into the foyer and couldn't help but smile. When they met, she could never have pictured Josh living in such a house, especially considering the shit hole of an apartment he and Pat had been renting back then.

She led herself through the house and down the stairs to the basement, the music letting her know where she was going – not that she'd never been to a party there before. Thankful for the door, she had a minute to prepare herself for the people she was about to see again.

"Jesus Christ, the whole gang's here!" she exclaimed loudly as she opened the door to see it almost filled with people. A chorus of cheers let her know she was as welcome as ever. She hadn't really had a chance to see who had come to celebrate Ajay's thirtieth birthday before one of her oldest and best friends engulfed her in a hug.

"James, let me breath, dammit!" Mollie exclaimed after a very long, very tight hug. "She's showing off, isn't she? As if _everyone_ flew up to help celebrate her birthday."

"They promised free beer, that's why I'm here." James Cox – better known as James Storm – said as he lifted a beer bottle up to his mouth. Mollie was just grateful that he'd figured out a way to hug her without dripping beer down her back. "Come see my boy." He put his arm around her shoulder and guided her into the guest bedroom, not allowing her the opportunity to say hello to anyone else.

James pulled Mollie over to a small pop up crib and she looked down at the sleeping baby boy.

"He's gotten so big!" the blonde bit her lip, "Christ, James, why you gotta do this to me?"

"He misses his Aunt Mollie, pick him up." James insisted but Mollie shook her head.

"I'll let him sleep; he must be all tuckered out if you flew him up here. I'll come back later; I do need to say hi to everyone else."

Mollie did her rounds around the room, hugging everyone as she went and she wished that she hadn't been away from them all so long. She had met most of these people when she was still a teenager and they had become lifelong friends, she had yet to meet anyone at home who made her feel as comfortable as the people in the room.

"Guess who." She said sweetly as she covered Pat's eyes.

"I have no idea." He said as he reached his hands up to remove them. When he span around, he was grinning widely. "I'm glad you made it here safely."

"James bum rushing me when I arrived was probably the most dangerous part of the trip." Pat planted his hands on her hips and smiled at her. "I can't believe how much I've missed everyone here."

"And you said TNA wasn't your home." He reminded her and she smiled slightly.

"Not my home, but definitely where my family is." She turned her head and laughed at the sight. Everyone had started drinking long ago and were all being as wonderfully stupid as Mollie remembered, playing billiards, poker or just attempting to dance – because none of them actually could. "Where are Joey and Mackenzie?"

"That is a great question, they might be upstairs." Pat said as he took Mollie's hand, ready to lead her upstairs.

"There they are!" Mollie exclaimed, pulling away from the wrestler as she spotted the young children sitting with a petite blonde. "Is that her?"

"Yeah, that's Mackenzie."

"No, no, _Aiden_. Is that her?"

"Um, yeah," he said worriedly before quickly explaining, "I didn't know she was coming. I should have realised because her and Ajay have become best friends, but I didn't know." Mollie put her hand on his chest and kissed his cheek.

"It's fine, Ajay told me she was going to be here." Pat's confused look was enough for Mollie to explain, "She called me about a few days after you left and invited me. She forewarned me that Aiden was going to be here and that I wasn't allowed to start any fights."

"And are you?" she rolled her eyes at his question and made her way over to the woman and the two kids.

"Hey, Joe, did ya miss me?" Mollie asked, bending down beside the seven year old who turned around with a huge smile. He threw his arms around her neck and hugged her, as she stood up and span him around.

"Mollie!"

"Happy Birthday, bud, sorry I missed it." The blonde said in his ear, "But I have a present for you. You can have it a bit later, okay?" he nodded eagerly as she set him back on his feet. When Mollie looked for Mackenzie, she noticed the two year old sitting atop Aiden's lap. "I'm Mollie."

"I know. I'm Aiden." Mollie smiled slightly at the sound of the new girl's southern accent. She just knew that she'd pronounce Detroit the same – the emphasis being on the first syllable rather than the second, something which Mollie had been laughed at for years.

Mollie took a seat next to Aiden and silently asked if she could hold Mackenzie, who was looking at her with wide eyes. She played with the young girl, rubbing her stomach and blowing raspberries on her arms before she looked back up to see Aiden with a curious look on her face.

"Can I help you?"

"I… I just thought you'd be…"

"You thought I'd be more vindictive, rude, bitter, arrogant..." Mollie listed with an unfazed expression, "Look, I'm not so much rude as I am forthright, more cynical than bitter, self-aware and as for being vindictive... Yes, I am." She stated somewhat proudly. "The reason I'm a cynic is because of people like myself... I probably wouldn't trust me at first if I met me, and that's saying something." Aiden didn't know what to say, she had heard many things about Mollie Jarrett, but she was entirely unprepared for this meeting. She was unprepared for Mollie to be so upfront about her personality. "You look shocked... I know what they all say about me, Aiden. Pat is the most vocal about it and those vocalisations led to many fights... I've learnt to accept who I am because I _know_ I can be all of those things but I'm also perceptive, nurturing and carefree - for the most part, anyway. I'm notoriously unapologetic, so why would I begin by apologising for being me?"

"I didn't, I wasn't, I just-" Aiden stuttered out and Mollie smiled knowingly.

"Calm down, okay? There are kids around and something about them just makes me melt." She kissed Mackenzie's nose lightly. "I'm not going to hurt you because of what they've said about me. You made a picture of me in your head by what they've said and I may or may not have completely blown it to bits."

"You're really something else." Aiden breathed out, looking utterly shocked at Mollie's words.

"Get a few drinks in me and I'll be the exact person they talked about." The casualness of her tone sent chills down Aiden's spine – the last thing she wanted was to be introduced to Hurricane Mollie. "You aren't really what I imagined either." Aiden's interest peaked.

"You've heard about me?"

"James seems to think the sun shines out of your ass, so yeah."

"How do you know James?" she asked cluelessly and Mollie bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from cackling.

"Sweetie, I know all of these people better than you ever will. I've known that buffoon since I was sixteen." Aiden hung her head, she was still getting used to the fact that she was the new girl. Seeing Mollie for the first time made her feel that maybe she was no longer that person, that Mollie may have taken her place, but she knew that she had been wrong. "I don't know, they make you out to be louder, more interesting. A few drinks and she comes out?"

Aiden remained silent, maybe she was in over her head.

* * *

It was almost midnight and the kids had been long moved upstairs. The hard liquor had been brought out and the party was in full swing.

James' wife had been dubbed designated driver – as she no doubt always was – and he and Mollie had spent the last hour trying to best each other in Edward Fortyhands. It came as a surprise to no one – except for Mollie – when James won by a whole bottle and they quickly decided that Mollie needn't finish her second beer.

"You haven't had enough to drink." Mollie declared, handing Aiden a bottle of beer and sitting down on the floor in front of the armchair. "If you want to be one of us, sweetheart, you have to drink like us."

Aiden hesitantly took the drink and clinked her bottle with Mollie's when the latter exclaimed 'Cheers!' quite loudly.

"I don't understand why he ever went out with you." Mollie mumbled.

"What?"

"Pat, what'd he see in you anyways?"

"Pat?"

"Yeah, you're ex-boyfriend. Alex Shelley." Mollie clarified, "You're too pure to be pink."

"I beg your pardon?" Aiden asked, wondering why Grease had just been quoted to her.

"You're too nice! You have _manners_! None of these fuckers here have manners, especially not _Alex_."

"I'm not allowed to be nice?" Aiden asked, Mollie didn't miss the snarky tone of voice.

"Of course you're allowed to be nice, just stop acting like you're better than all of us."

"I'm not!"

"You've been looking down on us all night, every time I take a drink you furrow your brow and look at me like I'm a heathen. Newsflash, baby, this is what we're all about!" Mollie threw her head back and skulled the beer like it was the air she needed to breath. When she looked at Aiden again, the smaller blonde was staring at her blankly.

"I think you might be an alcoholic." Aiden managed to spit out, standing up as she did so.

"That's a huge possibility!" Mollie called out at the retreating figure. What did she care what Aiden thought of her? Barbie was never a toy Mollie enjoyed playing with.

She rose to her feet, using the wall to help her, and followed Aiden. She swayed into the people she passed – Christopher Daniels not letting her go until she was standing entirely upright – but soon she saw Aiden talking with James.

"- just how she deals with everythin'. She's got a lot goin' on, just let her be." James was explaining to Aiden. "She's just bein' defensive 'cause Alex usually doesn't choose girls who match up. She's jealous of ya, 'cause you managed to befriend us and no one else he's been with has done that."

"She doesn't have to be so rude about it." Aiden huffed and Mollie guffawed, causing the two of them to look at her.

"Mollie, I'm gonna to stand over there and watch y'all talk, okay? You explain to her why you are the way you are, got it?"

"Yeah, whatever."

The two girls sat down at the vacated poker table and Mollie picked up some chips, twirling them around in her fingers.

"You don't owe me an explanation." Aiden spoke in a quiet voice. "I'll just assume you're always sour and be done with it."

"I'm not though. Well, not vocally anyways. You know what they say; a drunken heart speaks a sober mind!"

"I think you've got that backwards."

"Look, I only just met you and I don't like you," Mollie told her abruptly, "I'm twenty seven years old and I've had three boyfriends, one of whom was in high school and we dated for two months and it hardly counted at all, the last one was Ajay's brother and he didn't want kids so fuck him. But for six or seven years I was in an on and off relationship with Alex and I just, I don't know." The blonde sighed in exasperation, "I love the guy more than anything in the world, you know? But he _cheated_ on me _so_ many times with stupid bimbos, yet I forgave him _every single time_. You come along, though, and he's as good as gold. Not one indiscretion. Like, fuck, what had I ever done to deserve _that_?" Aiden remained silent, letting Mollie ramble on, not failing to notice the tears that slipped from her eyes, "And now he's polite and charming – in a totally different way than he was before – and you've made him a better person, something that I failed to do and I just want to know why he couldn't have done that for me."

"I didn't change him at all," Aiden sighed, "He was like that when I met him, Mollie. I think it may have been losing you for good that caused that change. He knew that no matter what you'd take him back so he wasn't worried about fucking up, but when he knew that you _weren't_ going to take him back, he changed. I think he changed for you."

"Bullshit, if he changed for me he would have come back." Mollie barked, hastily wiping her tears away.

"He wanted to. He talked about you far too often to have not been thinking about it." Aiden's mouth pulled into a small, yet sad, smile, "I could never live up to how he thinks of you, Mollie. Alex thinks the world of you. No, _Patrick_ thinks the world of you."

"I don't want you judging me," Mollie said suddenly, pulling herself up in the seat and getting ready for another tale, "Everyone will tell you that Alex and I were fucking _terrible _together. We fought more than everyone else combined; went so long without speaking we couldn't remember how long it had been. But they don't know, _you don't know_, how it felt when I was with him. Just to be with him made me happy. I always forgave him because I never felt better than when he was by my side. I wish everyone had the opportunity to feel that way because I wouldn't give up that feeling for the world." She got up to her feet. "I may be many things, but I'm not a person who will give up without a fight, and I may have the opportunity right now to go back to that feeling because we've both grown up and I'm not going to let that go."

"I'm not stopping you," Aiden held out her hand, telling Mollie to do what she had to do.

* * *

"You're a fucking asshole." Mollie swore at her ex-boyfriend, pushing his chest roughly, sending him stumbling backwards. Groans and sighs came from all directions of the room; people stood back and took a seat, ready to watch the former couple go head-to-head again.

"What the fuck did I do now?" Pat asked, standing back up straight and crossing his arms over his chest.

"You left me!" Mollie shouted at him.

"_You_ broke up with _me_!" he shouted back.

"You're my best friend! Why wouldn't you tell me that you left TNA? You're the only reason I ever went back to that fucking place! I hate it there! All it does is remind me of how dad loved that fucking promotion more than he ever loved me! But you _left_ and you didn't tell me!" she pushed his shoulder aggressively at the end of every sentence, but he stood his ground. "Then you move to _Japan_! Why the fuck wouldn't you tell me?"

"I didn't tell you because I knew that as soon I told you, your face would give away just how fucking hurt you were and I _hate_ being the cause of that face! If I had told you I wouldn't have gone, Mollie. I needed to get away from TNA."

"You can't just leave me like that!" she screamed with tears of frustration pouring down her cheeks, "You always just _leave me_! You never have a fucking explanation. And what magical powers does she possess that changed you? Why wouldn't you ever change for me?!" Mollie's mood had shifted dramatically in less than thirty seconds. She wasn't so much angry as she was upset and it was all coming out at once. "I love you. I just want you to love me back."

The room instantly went silent. Sober or drunk, every person in that room knew just what that confession meant.

Pat uncrossed his arms and quickly moved them to the back of Mollie's neck, pulling her lips directly to his. She melted in an instant, all anger flew out the window and she just revelled at his touch. Her hands clenched the back of his shirt, holding on as tight as she could so he could never get away.

She felt the stress of her life leave her body, as she was lifted from her feet and Pat placed her legs around his waist. In the distance, she heard cat calls and wolf whistles, but all she could focus on was Pat muttering about needing a bedroom.

Before she fully understood what was happening, they had been pushed in a bedroom and she was falling backwards on the bed. Pat had his hands under her shirt, resting on her rib cage.

"I changed for you. Because I want you." He said as he kissed her neck. "I had to prove to everyone that I wasn't going to fuck up again, and so what if she was the experiment."

"You were going to marry her!" Mollie exclaimed, but Pat quickly shut her up by kissing her.

"Until I realised that _you_ are the woman I want to marry."

* * *

**a/n how you'd like it? There's a poll on my page and I would love if you voted on it - after you've review of course =P**


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